Shrine to demolish 53-yr old building by iconic architect
A 53-year old former Shrine Office building in Shimane Prefecture is at risk of demolition. The owner, Izumo-taisha (aka the Izumo Grand Shrine), is considering tearing down the building due to its deteriorating state.
Architects and local groups are petitioning the shrine to consider the cultural importance of the building and preserve it for future generations. The shrine office was designed by architect Kiyonori Kikutake (1928-2011) and completed in 1963. Kikutake, along with Kisho Kurokawa, was one of the founders of the metabolist movement and designed numerous buildings across Japan.Read more
One of Tokyo's oldest Ryokans to be demolished this year
One of Tokyo’s older ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) is set to close at the end of March, ending 112 years of operations. Choyokan-honke is located in Hongo, Bunkyo-ku - an area that was once bustling with ryokans and old bathhouses. During the 1920s there were over 120 ryokans in the neighbourhood, but by the 1960s the number had dropped to around 50.
The building is schedule to be demolished in the summertime. It will then be replaced with a high-rise condominium.Read more
Construction Co. to demolish 90-year old western-style house in Nagano
The historic Shinshu-Kaikan building in Nagano City will be demolished to make way for a 15-storey apartment building.
It was built as the residence of Kyushichi Kobayashi, the first president of the Nagano Jitsugyo Bank (which later merged to become the Shinano Bank). The actual year of construction is unknown, although it is estimated to be approximately 90 years old. The two-storey house included a fireplace, which was unusual for residences, as well as a slate roof.Read more
Temple to demolish 100+ yr old historic villa in Kyoto
The former holiday villa of the head priest of the Nishi Hongan-ji Temple is going to be demolished this month.
Sanya-so, located in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward, is a 10,000 sqm estate dating back the the late 1800s. In 1876, 21st head priest / Abbot Koson Otani (1850 - 1903) built a single-storey wooden house to be used to host guests. It had seven rooms and a tea house, and was situated on an elevated block of land overlooking Uji River.
In 1900 a new wing was built with four rooms. The new house was also single storey and had a total floor area of 360 sqm. It also featured floor heating, with steam piped through pipes that were installed under the floors.
The villa hosted several notable guests throughout the years, including Tokugawa Yoshinobu (the last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate), Prince Ito Hirobumi (samurai and four time Prime Minister), and Field Marshal Prince Yamagata Aritomo (two time Prime Minister).Read more
High-rise planned for Omotesando former public housing site
The Aoyama Kitamachi Apaato, a city-operated public housing complex located on a prime 40,000 sqm site in the centre of Omotesando, is going to be replaced with a 20-storey high-rise apartment building.
The current site includes 25 public housing blocks containing a total of 586 apartments. They were built between 1957 and 1968 and are now in various stages of ageing and deterioration. The 4 and 5 storey buildings do not have elevators, and some of the earlier buildings did not have bathrooms (in those days the residents would have gone to local bathhouses).
Since 2006, Tokyo City has been slowly vacating the tenants in preparation of redevelopment. Almost half of the apartments are vacant, while remaining residents gradually move out.
Demolition is scheduled to start in 2017, and completion is expected in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics.Read more
Kobe to redevelop No. 2 City Hall
Kobe City is considering demolishing and rebuilding the ageing No. 2 City Hall. Demolition could start as early as this year.
The No. 2 Building was completed in 1957. It originally had 8 floors, but the upper floors were removed after suffering catastrophic damage during the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake caused the 6th floor of the building to collapse under the weight of the floors above. Rather than demolish the building, the 6th, 7th and 8th floors were removed, and the building went back into use from March 1996 onwards.Read more
90-year old town hall to be demolished
The 90-year old former Kano Town Hall in Gifu City will be demolished this year as repairs have become too costly and the building is at risk of collapse.
The 2-storey, reinforced concrete building was built in 1926 as the town hall for Kano Town (now part of Gifu City). The modernist building was designed by architect Goichi Takeda (1872-1938). It managed to survive the Gifu Air Raid of July 9, 1945, which destroyed 5 square kilometres of the city and killed 800 residents. For a brief time after the war it was used by the occupying forces. Read more